Saturday June 24 saw the closing of the 1st class of Femmes d’Avenir (Women of the Future), a women’s entrepreneurship program designed to help Gabonese women entrepreneurs develop their skills and gain access to significant development opportunities.

As a result of a partnership between Eramet, Women in Africa and the Gabonese government, Femmes d’Avenir is a program designed to support African women entrepreneurs and thus contribute to the development of the continent’s economy, with the aim of training and supporting 130 Gabonese women SMEs and VSEs over a three-year period (2022-2025).

The Femmes d’Avenir Hub, the first of its kind in Libreville, opened its doors in June 2022, under the patronage of Christel Bories, CEO of Eramet and Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda, Vice-President of Gabon. Over the past year, 30 women entrepreneurs have taken part in the program, which has given them access to an unprecedented hub to develop their skills and expand their networks.

I’d like to congratulate every woman who has taken part in this coaching and mentoring program. We are already recruiting the second promotion in Gabon and extending the program for the first time to Senegal, two countries where Eramet is present.

Loïse Tamalgo
General Delegate for Eramet in Africa

Over several months, beneficiaries benefited from more than 150 hours of practical training, individualized mentoring, access to a dynamic network of experts, professionals and business angels from various sectors, masterclasses and networking sessions. The entrepreneurs were also able to work on their pitches in small groups, to prepare them for discussions with potential investors: five beneficiaries were selected to pitch to a jury of 14 business angels and executives, to give them maximum exposure to future investors and partners.

We’re delighted with the initial results of the program, which has already seen the emergence of a number of ‘nuggets’ made in Gabon, which we’ll be keen to support over the long term.

Caroline Boudergue
Co-Founder and Managing Director of Women In Africa

Sarah Mboussou receives her certificate

During the closing ceremony, the jury of business angels present at the pitch sessions awarded first prize ex aequo to Marie-Gabrielle Mouckonga, founder of 2MG business, for the Les Saveurs de Vouvou brand, and to Sarah Mboussou, founder of the Fruitéo brand, for their business models, their desire to bring tangible solutions to the local community through their company and their quality as “role models” of Gabonese female entrepreneurship.

As the Femmes d’Avenir program draws to a close and recruitment for the second class of 50 women entrepreneurs is underway, Eramet and Women in Africa announced at the event that the Femmes d’Avenir program will be extended to Senegal in September 2023.